


A Silent Triptych

by republic



Category: 4'33" - John Cage (Song)
Genre: Other, Unnecessarily pretentious, second person narrative, written for the Yorkshire Tourist Board
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21837301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/republic/pseuds/republic
Summary: The typical adult reading speed is 240 words/minute, so naturally this is 1092 words long.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	A Silent Triptych

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlexSeanchai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexSeanchai/gifts).



> The typical adult reading speed is 240 words/minute, so naturally this is 1092 words long.

#### 

I  
Fountains Abbey, Michaelmas

You walk to Fountains Abbey on a typical autumn afternoon in Yorkshire; a light rain is falling. As you approach the abbey, the Sun finally comes out, lending a warm glow to the stones of the nave. The ruins of the abbey itself nestle in a valley, and you are struck by the size of the place - not simply the church itself (though it is impressive even in its ruined state), but also the area of land occupied by the abbey buildings. The string quartet are set up at the east end of the nave, in front of the vast opening where the east window would once have been.

The programme booklet notes that this is the first of a 3-concert series of John Cage's 4'33". The venues and dates have been chosen as particularly appropriate times and places for performances of this work; you are invited to consider what is present and absent from each structure, as well as what is present and absent from the music of 4'33". The arrangement for string quartet (based on the original Woodstock manuscript of 1952, which you thought was lost) is credited to A. Z. Fell. The booklet also reminds you that Michaelmas is the feast of St Michael _and all angels_ , and draws your attention to the antiphon for Michaelmas "Factum est silentium in caelo".

At precisely the announced start time, the conductor comes to their stand, and raises their baton. They indicate the start of each movement, and the end of the work. It is a very still day, though an occasional sheep can be heard and a songbird trills from time to time; you are infused with a sense of deep calm. It has been said that music begins with silence, but here you might even believe that the silence was music. Afterwards, the audience depart without a word and with no applause - as if this were the gap between movements, rather than the end of a performance.

If you look around during the performance, you might see two rather striking figures at the back. One wears white and appears enraptured, the other is in black and looks rather confused.

* * *

#### 

II  
Whitby Abbey, All Souls'

The second concert is in the early evening; it is already dark, and a strong easterly is blowing. The sea below the abbey is wild, throwing itself against the shore. The wind howls through the ruins, and somehow you are more reminded of Bram Stoker's Dracula than the faithful departed. The abbey provides little shelter from the wind; the 'cello is laid on its side by the player's chair, and the wind draws eerie notes from its strings. The abbey was suppressed by Henry VIII, like Fountains Abbey, and now little remains beyond the ruins of the abbey church. It's a striking landmark on the east cliff above the town, although it is sparsely lit this evening, giving the ruins an air of menace.

The programme booklet includes a history of 4'33", including the variations in the lengths of movements between different editions, and the audience reaction to the premiere performance in 1952. There's also a rather earnest essay on the cognitive impact of environmental noise; given the weather conditions, this feels a little ironic.

The conductor has wisely decided not to use their baton; page turning between movements is obviously quite challenging, and a number of clothes pegs are deployed to keep the music in place. You find yourself wondering why anyone would choose to put on a silent piece on such a noisy evening; were the howling wind and roaring sea the intended effect? If so, is this defeating the point of Cage's silent composition? In any case, if the first performance was pastorale, this one is very much Sturm und Drang. You can tell that a number of the audience are having conversations after the performance concludes, but the wind carries their voices away.

You recognise the couple in black and white from the previous concert; you walk out of the abbey past them, and overhear a snatch of their conversation. You think one says to the other "I'm still not sure quite how you managed to tie up so many of our people over the date of Easter!", but surely you must have misheard?

* * *

#### 

III  
Coventry Cathedral, Remembrance Day

The final concert is in the ruined cathedral, which stands in the centre of the city. It's late in the evening, and the ruins are flood-lit, highlighting the red stone walls, the charred cross and behind it the golden engraved "Father Forgive". You can also see the structure of the new cathedral, a looming presence to the North. The quartet are arrayed just in front of the altar rail; they wear white poppies.

The programme booklet sketches the history of the ruined cathedral - from its construction as a parish church in the late 14th century, to its elevation to cathedral status in 1918 (the second Coventry cathedral) and near-total destruction on the night of 14 November 1940. It notes that for all the pomp and ceremony of the Remembrance Day service at the cathedral this morning, the one essential part of it was silence: "When we contemplate the horrors of war, there is often no more eloquent response than to fall silent."

Sunday night in the middle of Coventry is not a quiet time, and the audience seem to feel that it's OK for them to talk amongst themselves too before the performance starts. You are briefly distracted by the wail of a siren just before the announced start time, but then everyone falls silent as the conductor walks up to their podium. They are more demonstrative this evening than on the previous two occasions, as if trying to create a more focused space for themselves and the performers. You find yourself distracted by the surroundings - there's amplified music from a pub nearby, the headlights of passing traffic, and another emergency vehicle in the distance. All of which is not as loud as the weather in Whitby was, but somehow more intrusive, all the same.

The couple in black and white arrive just before the performance starts. It must be a trick of the light, but it certainly looks like the figure in white is supporting the other, so that their feet don't touch the ground.

For the first time, the conductor turns to acknowledge the audience at the end of the performance; as they bring the players to their feet with a gesture, the audience break into applause.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Yuletide! Thank you for asking for what I wanted to write :)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Lead Us Into Temptation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21837505) by [republic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/republic/pseuds/republic)




End file.
